Day 12: Safford AZ to Lordsburg NM

I will give the final update on Bradley and Shannon’s race with a very heavy heart.  Both are fine but others tragically are not.  On the final night of the race three racers were hit by a car over three seperate events.  It appears one individual decided to do this and thankfully they have in custody.  The race organizers did the right thing and stopped the race not knowing what was happening and not wanting to put others at risk.  Bradley & Shannon were minutes away from getting on their bikes riding onto the road.  They went into the race to prove that they can compete at a high level – job done.  They were in the top 10 in the coed category when the race was stopped.  They were 1st in the 2CO group.  Talking to Bradley early, he and Shannon will go back and finish the ride soon.  I cannot be prouder of both. 

Congratulations to both of you... job well done!!!!

For todays ride, it was much tougher than I expected.  The early part of the ride was all uphill and the winds I was counting on to help late only kicked in the last 20 miles.  Scenery was nice again most of the day.  Open fields & desert with mountains in the distance.  I will say the roads today were very nice.  I cannot imagine if the roads were like they were a few days ago. 

Leaving Safford Comfort Inn

Beautiful Views All Day



The highlight of today was leaving Arizona and entering New Mexico.  Two states down and we should be in Texas later this week.  When we arrive in El Paso, I will take a look at our progress and see how we are doing against our 55-day target. 

Welcome to New Mexico

For all my cactus loving friends, help me with this one.  When I crossed into New Mexico these guys were all over the desert. 

Cactus???

The weather for todays ride was generally cold with light helping winds in the morning.  The wind picked up later in the day and helped more.   The final 2 miles into Lordsburg has a 25 mph cross wind that made these terrible miles.

Today’s ride stats:

Start Time:   AM Mountain Time              Finish Time:  2:24 PM Mountain Time    

Elapse Time: 5 Hr. 47 Min.                         Ride Time: 5 Hr. 16 Min.

Distance:  76.9 Miles                                   Average Speed: 14.6 mph

Climbing/Descent:  2726/1273 Ft.               TSS:  153

Average Power: 159 Watts                           Normalized Power: 169 Watts

Calories:  3030                                             Ave/Max HR: 121/136 bpm

During the ride Sandy met up with me for a sandwich, apple sauce and a muffin.  I finished the three water bottles during the ride.  The stoppage time today was mostly lunch and time to take some pictures.  I also did a quick change of shirts at lunch to help with the cold.


Comfort of a hotel room at the end of Day 12

Tomorrow will be a relatively short ride into Silver City.  It is still cold in the area so one more night in a hotel.   The ride is only 45-miles, but I am expecting a hard uphill into the wind ride.  At least we have a wonderful hotel for the night.

Comments

  1. DaveNCathiFebruary 28, 2021 at 6:01 PM

    So sorry to hear about Bradley and Shannon's race, but thankful they are safe. Hang tough, Steve!

    ReplyDelete
  2. FishwifeFebruary 28, 2021 at 6:06 PM

    Bob and I want to extend our condolences and prayers to the families affected. ☹️ Such a world.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Uncle RatfinkMarch 1, 2021 at 5:59 AM

    Have a good time in Silver City. Look out for the Apaches and Billy the Kid. Looks like a lot of Western history there. Maybe. Have a safe ride today.
    Love Pop

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 2, 2021 at 10:46 AM

    Terrible news about Bradley and Shannon's race, good to hear they are safe. Sounds like you are enjoying the Southwest, make sure you grab a green chili burger in New Mexico! Keep up the good spirits in your riding!
    Also I am pretty sure that cactus is a Joshua tree, a type of yucca.
    Claudio

    ReplyDelete

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